Recently I started using some kode (UKKQueue) that Uli Kusterer published as open source. Instead of just including the source files in my software I decided to wrap it in a framework.

One of the advantages of taking someone else’s kode and wrapping it in a framework in this manner is that it makes you stop and take the time to examine the kode. It’s great that you have kode that you didnt’ write and you haven’t succumbed to the “not invented here” phenomena, but you’re still using this kode in your application. You need to do your homework and examine what it is your plugging into.

Uli’s kode is solid and many people have already hammered at it. But sometimes it’s good to make trivial changes to get that feeling of ownership. For instance: Some people like the { on the line after the function implementation, and some people like the { an the same line as the function implementation. This is a trivial coding style difference; but if while you are reading the source kode you change it to your preferred style you will gain a sense of ownership. Or maybe this isn’t true at all and I’m trying to justify the fact that I do this when reading kode that I’m including in my project.

Here is a more concrete example of something I changed. In the file UKFileWatcher.h Uli uses a category to define the protocol UKFileWatcherDelegate. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is the standard by which Objective-C libraries are written. This is the way Apple defines delegate protocols in their API.

@protocol UKFileWatcher
 
// +(id) sharedFileWatcher;			// Singleton accessor. Not officially part of the protocol, but use this name if you provide a singleton.
 
-(void) addPath: (NSString*)path;
-(void) removePath: (NSString*)path;
 
-(id)   delegate;
-(void) setDelegate: (id)newDelegate;
 
@end
 
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//  Methods delegates need to provide:
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
@interface NSObject (UKFileWatcherDelegate)
 
-(void) watcher: (id<UKFileWatcher>)kq receivedNotification: (NSString*)nm forPath: (NSString*)fpath;
 
@end

Personally, I prefer formal protocols So I changed the kode to use a formal protocol. At the end of the day, the code is functionally equivalent, but I twiddled with the knobs while I read the kode.

@protocol UKFileWatcher
 
-(void) addPath: (NSString*)path;
-(void) removePath: (NSString*)path;
 
-(id)   delegate;
-(void) setDelegate: (id<UKFileWatcherDelegate>)newDelegate;
 
@end
 
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
//  Methods delegates need to provide:
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@protocol UKFileWatcherDelegate
-(void) watcher: (id<UKFileWatcher>)kq receivedNotification: (NSString*)nm forPath: (NSString*)fpath;
@end

So I’ve created Zathras.framework. In the future, I plan to wrap any other kode by Uli that I use into this framework.

Kode on.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Kode Reading, Mondo Kode. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.